Sunday May 5th

Wouldn't it be great if your muse was chatty? "Tell all!" you beg, and the muse says, "Well...have you heard the latest about your character?" "No, what did they do? I've been trying to find out for weeks."

Sometimes I wonder if my muse has lockjaw. "Hello?" I lean over the edge and call into the void.... Not even an echo. Spooky. "Yo! Anybody? Yoo-hoo! Ko ko! Knock, knock?" Nothing. Plum blossoms float by on no breeze. The dogs are sound asleep, the birds are all asleep. My feet are both asleep.

Fine. If that's the way you want to play. Then I will unmake you. And put you back together again crooked. Or maybe I'll make you again based on weird random images from the backwater of my mind. Yeeahh, and I will use junk to make your essence. That's right, rubble, rubbish, cast-offs, recycled garbagio, as it were. Then I will breathe life into you and make you dance! And not just some flappy-arm noodle dance. Something complicated from Bulgaria.

In my stint as a god I have discovered that you can turn the tables on your muse. Now YOU are calling the shots. If the old Muserator won't tell you about your characters, then play around with recycled materials and stumble upon them in the dark recesses of your Freudian dust bunny village.

Oyo, were you inside my head? Eeugh. Maybe some paint would help.

This guy I made out of a broken vegetable steamer and a dishwasher drain vent. His job is to do battle with errant knights and rescue stressed out maidens. I know, I know.

Through these maquettes my characters are actually coming to life. Is your muse giving you a hard time? Duh. That's their job. But you don't have to take it lying down. You can give them a makeover. Invent someone or something new with glue. Or duct tape, masking tape, epoxy, papier mâché, sticks and stones--or whatever you have.

So, if you happen to be in Tacoma, Washington, this Sunday, May 5th, swing by the Tacoma Art Museum and join my Muse-Busting ~ Character-Building presentation and workshop.

About Me

I am the servant of my cats. Also an artist, author, and illustrator. I can almost fly around at will. Actually, when I folk dance I do fly. My first picture book for children was published in 1986, and I have been making books ever since. Somehow I married one of the world's greatest treasures. My world is filled with kids, grandkids, dogs, cats, rabbits, robots, dinosaurs, and fairies. Really. I believe with all my heart that we can make a difference in this world. It starts with giving, forgiving, and living out love. You know, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Making art can be a part of making a better world. Dostoevsky said, "The world will be saved by beauty."